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Applying in Brazil

How to apply for jobs in Brazil

Brazilian hiring runs largely through online platforms: recruiting software that companies plug into their careers pages, LinkedIn, general job sites and the free public service Sine. Applications are quick to send, so the competition is in the details: a lean currículo in Portuguese, a clear salary expectation and knowing which kind of contract you are being offered.

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How do you apply for a job in Brazil?

Search on Sine (through the Emprega Brasil portal or the Carteira de Trabalho Digital app), on job sites such as Gupy, LinkedIn, Catho, Indeed and InfoJobs, or on company career pages. Apply with a short currículo in Portuguese aimed at the posting. Selection usually means screening questions or tests, then interviews. Foreign nationals need a residence authorisation for work.[1][6]

Brazilian job applications at a glance

Usual practice for job applications in Brazil
TopicUsual in Brazil
The documentCurrículo (or CV). One to two pages, latest experience first.
Personal dataName, city, phone, email, LinkedIn. No CPF, RG, religion or health details on the page.
PhotoNot expected for most roles; leave it out unless the posting asks.
Cover letterRarely required on platforms; a short message helps when you apply by email or LinkedIn.
Public job serviceSine: free, online through Emprega Brasil and the Carteira de Trabalho Digital app, or at a Sine office.
Experience demandedBy law an employer may not require proof of more than six months' experience in the same type of activity.
Trial contractContrato de experiência: 90 days at most.
Work cardThe Carteira de Trabalho Digital, keyed to your CPF, replaces the paper card.

[1][2][3][5]

Where Brazilian vacancies are advertised

Most openings appear on several channels at once, but the application often ends up in the same place: the employer's recruiting platform. Pick the sites that match your kind of job, create each profile carefully once and keep it current. Here is what each one is for.

Job sites used in Brazil and what each is for
SiteTypeWhat it is for
LinkedInWhite-collar and corporateCorporate and specialist roles, recruiter outreach and referrals. Write the headline in Portuguese with your target role and turn on open-to-work for recruiters.
GupyCompany recruiting platformRecruiting software that many large and mid-size companies run their careers pages on; the Gupy Portal lists their openings in one search. Expect screening questions and online tests, and answer every one.
CathoGeneral job boardOpenings in every region and level, from administrative assistant and sales to internships and young-apprentice roles; many listings show the pay range.
Vagas.comGeneral job boardA national board with many operational and junior openings, plus filters for internships and for roles reserved for people with disabilities (PcD).
InfoJobsGeneral job boardOpenings by city and area, with filters for on-site, hybrid and home-office work.
IndeedInternational job siteRuns a Brazilian site; save searches by city and role. Many listings send you on to the company's own platform.
SinePublic employment serviceThe national employment system: free matching between workers and employers, with offices nationwide. Register online or at a Sine office; matching vacancies appear in Emprega Brasil and the Carteira de Trabalho Digital app.
CIEEInternships and young apprenticesInternship (estágio) and Jovem Aprendiz openings for students, free for candidates, including selection processes for internships in public bodies.
Cia de TalentosInternships and trainee programmesInternship and trainee selection processes for companies, with preparation content for each stage.
PCI ConcursosPublic sector (concursos)Most permanent public jobs are filled through a concurso público. This private site collects open and forecast competitions; always read the official edital before you register.
Networking and referralsDirectIndicações carry weight in Brazilian hiring. Ask former colleagues to refer you internally, and say exactly which role you want.

Ruubu's job matches for Brazil search several of these sources and score each opening against your resume.

[1][8][9][10][11][12][13]

Writing the currículo for Brazilian recruiters

A Brazilian currículo is short and factual: contact block, a professional objective or summary of two lines, experience with dates and results, education, courses, languages with their level and tools. Recruiters screening hundreds of platform applications look for the posting's terms in the first third of the page, so use them where they are true. The Brazilian CV format guide covers section order and a sample layout.

Skip identity numbers. Your CPF matters at hiring time, when the employer records the contract on the Carteira de Trabalho Digital, not on the CV. A covering message is optional on most platforms; when you write one, keep it to a few lines that name the role and one result that fits it. The cover letter builder drafts it from your resume, in Portuguese or English.[2]

Questions an employer cannot ask in Brazil

Lei nº 9.029/1995 prohibits discriminatory practices that limit access to employment for reasons of sex, origin, race, colour, marital status, family situation, disability, professional rehabilitation or age, among others. Requiring a pregnancy or sterilisation test, exam or certificate is a crime under its article 2.

The LGPD (Lei nº 13.709/2018) classes data on racial or ethnic origin, religious conviction, political opinion, union membership, health, sex life, genetics and biometrics as sensitive personal data. None of it belongs on a currículo. The CLT adds a rule many applicants do not know: article 442-A bars an employer from demanding proof of more than six months of prior experience in the same type of activity.[3][4][5]

From posting to offer: the Brazilian process

Each platform shows the stage your application has reached; check it rather than waiting for an email.

  1. 01

    Set up your profiles

    Register with Sine and complete your profile on the recruiting platforms and LinkedIn with the same dates, titles and education.

  2. 02

    Adapt the currículo to each opening

    Reorder experience so the most relevant results come first and reuse the posting's own terms. Run a free resume check before you submit.

  3. 03

    Complete the screening stage

    Answer the platform's questions and any online tests (logic, language, culture fit) in one sitting, without rushing the open-text answers.

  4. 04

    Interview with HR, then the manager

    A first conversation with recruitment checks motivation, availability and pay expectations; later rounds go into the work itself. Rehearse with the interview prep kit.

  5. 05

    Clarify the contract before you accept

    Ask whether the role is CLT (carteira assinada) or PJ, the gross monthly salary, benefits and the start date, and get it in writing.

How interviews tend to run in Brazil

  • Video calls are the norm for first rounds; join a few minutes early with your camera on.
  • The tone is often warm and conversational, but answers should still be concrete: situation, what you did, the outcome.
  • Group dynamics (dinâmicas de grupo) appear in trainee and graduate programmes; listen as much as you speak.
  • Expect a question on salary expectation (pretensão salarial); give a monthly gross range you can defend.
  • Close by asking about the next steps and when you can expect news.

After the interview: follow-up, pay and the trial contract

Thank the interviewer by email or LinkedIn the same day. If the platform shows no movement after a week or two, a short, friendly message to the recruiter is acceptable. Log every application with its stage and contact in the job tracker so nothing slips.

Offers usually state a monthly salary. Under a CLT contract the employer registers you on the Carteira de Trabalho Digital, which uses your CPF as its key number; a PJ arrangement means you invoice as a company, so compare the two on total value, not the headline figure. Many CLT jobs start with a contrato de experiência, which article 445 of the CLT caps at 90 days.[2][3]

Coming from abroad: authorisation and diplomas

Immigrants who want to work in Brazil apply for a residence authorisation for work purposes (autorização de residência para fins laborais). The government service can be requested by the immigrant or by the person or company that wants to hire them, so agree with the employer who files it.

If the job needs a recognised degree, foreign higher-education diplomas are revalidated or recognised through the Plataforma Carolina Bori, the federal system run by the Ministry of Education. The ministry's page gives up to 180 days for a normal case and 90 for simple ones, so start early.[6][7]

Mistakes that cost interviews in Brazil

  • Skipping the platform's screening questions or answering them in one word.
  • Putting your CPF, RG or a photo on the currículo when the posting does not ask for them.
  • Sending an English CV to a role advertised in Portuguese.
  • Naming a salary without saying whether it is gross, monthly, CLT or PJ.
  • Letting the platform profile and the currículo show different dates or titles.

Prepare this application with Ruubu

Each tool works on the resume you already have. Start with the free check, then fit the resume and letter to one posting.

Ruubu on job sites in Brazil

Built from the lists Ruubu actually runs, so this block only names sites Ruubu works with today.

Job Matches searches
LinkedIn, Gupy, and Indeed
Ruubu for Chrome shows your match score on
LinkedIn, Indeed, and Gupy
Ruubu for Chrome fills application forms on
LinkedIn, Indeed, Greenhouse, Workday, Lever, Ashby, SmartRecruiters, iCIMS, Taleo, SAP SuccessFactors, Jobvite, BambooHR, Workable, Oracle Recruiting Cloud, Breezy HR, Rippling, Dover, Gem, Comeet, Eightfold, Avature, and Cornerstone

Job sites and hiring systems belong to their owners. Ruubu is independent and not affiliated with them. Every site and what Ruubu does there

Frequently asked questions

Is Sine free to use?
Yes. Sine is the national employment system and its job-matching service is free for workers. You can register and look for vacancies online, in the Carteira de Trabalho Digital app or at a Sine office.
Do I need a photo on a Brazilian currículo?
Usually not: a currículo for Brazil is normally sent without a photo unless the posting asks for one, and sensitive data stays off the page. The Brazilian CV format guide shows a full layout.
Can an employer ask for years of experience?
They can describe the experience they want, but CLT article 442-A says an employer may not demand proof of more than six months of prior experience in the same type of activity as a hiring condition.
How long is the trial contract in Brazil?
A contrato de experiência may not exceed 90 days under article 445 of the CLT.
Can I apply from outside Brazil?
Yes, many processes run fully online. To start work you need a residence authorisation for work purposes, which you or the hiring company can request through the government service.

Sources

Statements about rules and official guidance rely on these pages. We opened and read each source ourselves on the date shown.

  1. [1]Buscar Emprego no Sistema Nacional de Emprego (Sine) · Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego (gov.br)www.gov.br/pt-br/servicos/buscar-emprego-no-sistema-nacional-de-emprego-sine ·
  2. [2]Perguntas Frequentes - Carteira de Trabalho Digital · Ministério do Trabalho e Empregowww.gov.br/trabalho-e-emprego/pt-br/servicos/trabalhador/carteira-de-trabalho/perguntas-frequentes-carteira-de-trabalho-digital ·
  3. [3]Consolidação das Leis do Trabalho (CLT), arts. 442-A and 445 · Câmara dos Deputados (LegIn, consolidated text)www2.camara.leg.br/legin/fed/declei/1940-1949/decreto-lei-5452-1-maio-1943-415500-normaatualizada-pe.html ·
  4. [4]Lei nº 9.029/1995, arts. 1 and 2 (discriminatory practices in hiring) · Câmara dos Deputados (LegIn)www2.camara.leg.br/legin/fed/lei/1995/lei-9029-13-abril-1995-348798-normaatualizada-pl.html ·
  5. [5]Lei nº 13.709/2018 (LGPD), art. 5 · Senado Federallegis.senado.leg.br/norma/27457334/publicacao/27457731 ·
  6. [6]Obter autorização de residência para fins laborais a imigrantes · Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública (gov.br)www.gov.br/pt-br/servicos/obter-autorizacao-de-residencia-para-fins-laborais-a-imigrantes ·
  7. [7]Revalidação e Reconhecimento de Diplomas Estrangeiros · Ministério da Educação (gov.br)www.gov.br/pt-br/servicos/reconhecer-ou-revalidar-diploma-de-curso-superior-obtido-no-exterior ·
  8. [8]About LinkedIn · LinkedInabout.linkedin.com/ ·
  9. [9]Gupy: HR and recruiting platform · Gupywww.gupy.io/ ·
  10. [10]Gupy Portal: find jobs · Gupyportal.gupy.io/en ·
  11. [11]About Indeed · Indeedwww.indeed.com/about ·
  12. [12]Cia de Talentos: internship and trainee opportunities · Cia de Talentoswww.ciadetalentos.com.br/ ·
  13. [13]PCI Concursos: information on public-service competitions · PCI Concursoswww.pciconcursos.com.br/ ·

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